For those of us who are old enough to remember the song “Hokey Pokey” you may remember the words went something like this, “You put your right foot in, you put your left foot out, then you do the Hokey Pokey and you shake it all about.” Why in the world did this song from years ago suddenly pop into my mind? I’m guessing it’s because I was reflecting on the scripture verses, both in the Psalms and in the book of James that talk about a “double minded man.” These verses reminded me that Christians often try to live with one foot in their faith and one foot in the world.
There are many examples in scripture of how this works out and why God advises against it.
In the Old Testament, God told the Israelites repeatedly not to intermarry, such as in Deuteronomy 22:10. In each case where they ignored His admonition, it turned out badly. Rather than be witnesses for God, they invariably adopted the false gods of their new spouse.
The New Testament also warns against this practice in 2 Corinthians 6:14 where it says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what Fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial (a term from Hebrew used to designate Satan)?”
Paul continues in Corinthians to advise that anyone that is married to a non-believer should remain married and serve as a witness to Christ.
A Native American saying also points to the wisdom inherent in God’s advice to His people Israel. The saying says simply, “Why would a fish marry a bird, for where would they make their nest?”
In the New Testament we are encouraged to pray and ask God for wisdom. The Apostle James goes on to say in James 1:6-8 that when we do this we must ask believing and not doubting, for if we doubt we are like a wave of the sea, tossed about by the wind. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
In the book of Exodus we see that doubting God caused the Israelites 40 years of wandering in the desert before they were allowed to enter the Promised Land. Today we need to be cautious lest our double mindedness result in “another lap around the desert.” When we fail a test by God He invariably will test us again at our point of failure.
Another example from Matthew 6:24-26 points to another of the dangers existing for the double minded man, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
The songwriter hit the nail on the head when he first penned the words, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all else is sinking sand.”
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